Premier Announces Grants to Child-Care
COMMUNITY SERVICES--Premier Announces Grants to Child-Care Centres
Young Nova Scotia families and children with special needs will benefit from the addition of much-needed child-care spaces and programs announced today, Aug. 8, in Halifax. The provincial government has awarded Early Childhood Development grants creating new child-care spaces, an Early Language and Learning program and strategies to enhance inclusion for children with special needs.
More than $2.7 million in grants have been awarded. The grants are part of Nova Scotia's 2001-02 funding under the federal/provincial/territorial Early Childhood Development Agreement.
Premier John Hamm said the grants are further proof his government is determined to build a child-care system that meets the needs of young children and their families.
"Last fall, we began providing more money for early childhood educators to help recruit and retain qualified individuals," said Premier Hamm. "This spring we enhanced the Department of Health's home-visiting program to ensure that babies have a healthy start in life. Now we're building capacity and services for young children. It's the kind of care that young families in Nova Scotia have been asking for."
The grants were approved by Community Services Minister Peter Christie as part of the Early Childhood Development strategy.
"The grants being distributed today include more than $1.6 million for new start-ups and expansions of existing child-care centres in the non-profit sector, $560,000 for an Early Language and Learning program and $500,000 for inclusion of children with special needs," said Mr. Christie. "We're beginning to see how this five-year program is building a system that meets the needs of our youngest citizens."
The $1.6 million in funding for new start-ups and expansions will go to 22 non-profit child-care organizations across the province, resulting in more than 400 new full- and part-day child-care spaces. The grants are awarded based on need in the province's four regions, with the focus on under-serviced areas.
The $560,000 Early Language and Learning Strategy is adapted from a national pilot program designed to promote the early development of children's language and cognitive development. The project provides the services of a speech-language pathologist and offers programs and training to children, parents and teachers. Language development is a key component of helping children with early reading and learning.
Funding of $500,000 will provide direct supports to children with special needs enrolled in child-care centres and will also support two programs that focus on inclusion. The Partnership on Inclusion project assesses program quality, supports positive change and develops mentoring within the system. The Building Blocks program provides training for early-childhood educators who work with children with special needs. The program teaches a problem-solving approach to inclusion and makes the most of the specialists and therapists in the community who can help with individual children.
The government of Canada has committed $2.2 billion to fund Early Childhood Development programs across the country over a five- year period that began in 2001. The funding is allocated to provinces and territories based on population. Each province or territory determines how its money will be distributed. Nova Scotia's portion is $66 million.